The present invention relates to electrical receptacle units of the type adapted to receive plugs from toasters, irons, sweepers, and the like. Conventionally, electrical receptacles are contained within metal boxes mounted on wall or ceiling studs as a home is being constructed, and a unit consists of a metal box nailed to the stud, and the receptacle portion situated inside the box attached therto by means of screws.
After a home is rough wired, the dry-wall is installed, and the receptacle units are thereby fixed in place and substantially nonaccessible.
Occasionally, however, it is desired to install receptacles in older homes, or in new homes after the dry-wall has been installed. It is not then conveniently possible to attach a metal box to a stud, nor is it always desirable to locate the receptacle adjacent the stud.
To fasten a metal box to a stud would require the dry-wall to be torn out and an opening would have to be made which would be substantially larger than the metal box, thus requiring extensive plaster repairs after the box was in place.
The present invention overcomes these obstacles, and makes it possible to locate a receptacle unit anywhere on a wall, ceiling, or floor of a home or building without it having to be attached to a stud for support.
Prior efforts to solve this problem have not apparently been successful. Examples of such prior efforts, such as they are, can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,218,596, 3,716,651, and 3,609,647.